Hired Hand
by Listn2marleysk8r
Summary: A man named Sonny escapes from the same police convoy as our hero from Grand Theft Auto 3 and begins work with the Leone family. Terror on Liberty's gangs ensues. Rated R for language, violence, drug use, and just some plain bad sh*t. Plz R&R.
1. 1

1.  
June 18  
12:33 News Report as cast by Jonathan Schaffer for Liberty City Public News  
  
Jonathan Schaffer tapped his papers on the news desk and looked at the red light on the camera, "Liberty City has yet again been shaken from its slumber tonight by a second attack on a police convoy transferring twenty-two prisoners from Liberty City Police Department to a new facility in nearby Carson City. Among the prisoners being transferred were Stokely Durham and Mariza Martinez," a picture of the man and woman were posted up on the screen., "the infamous couple convicted of the bombing of city hall two years ago.  
"At approximately 11:30 tonight, three large black jeeps were seen heading off the bridge almost halfway across the bridge from Portland through Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale . Gunfire was exchanged and ultimately, the two police officers on the scene were killed and the almost two dozen prisoners were set free. Attempts to apprehend the prisoners were first begun with searches through the police database. These attempts were foiled again by computer hackers making this the second successful attack on a police convoy in two months.  
"In the time since the second attack,, eighteen prisoners have again been apprehended but the search continues for the four remaining prisoners. Please, ladies and gentlemen, if you see these people or hear anything about the whereabouts of the escaped prisoners, do not approach them. All four of these criminals should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you receive any information about the prisoners, please call the toll- free number 555-LOCK-U-UP. For LCPN, I'm Jonathan Schaffer. Goodnight."  
  
************************************************************  
11:27 Callahan Bridge  
Sonny sat in the very back on the right-hand side of the large police van. He worked on his last mission with the two people to his right. Stokely, a large, muscular, bald black man, and Mariza, a brunette Colombian who specialized in weaponry of all sorts.  
Sonny himself had black dreadlocks that hung down past his shoulders. He was lighthly tan and thin but slightly muscular and thought not as large as Stokely, who stood 6'3" and well over 200 pounds, he too could be a force to be reckoned with.  
The security guards up front shouted back at prisoners who yelled threats and insults, "Well hurry up! I ain't got all day!" Stokely shouted.  
"Just sit back and shut up, you'll be in your new home before you know it." One of the security guards said, showing no fear.  
Sonny leaned his head against the back window and closed his eyes. The streetlights shone in bright on his face.  
"I don't believe this shit, homie." A man Sonny had never seen before said.  
"Ain't no thing, yo, Luigi's got us," someone else said.  
Most of the men inside yelled shouts of agreement.  
Sonny was suddenly awoken from his dozing off by the sounds of two powerful engines revving. He opened his eyes to see two large black Patriots approaching.  
The Patriots were only able to be seen because of the bright headlights. They pulled up quickly, one going diagonally in front of the van, stopping it. The other stopped behind the police van, preventing it from backing up.  
The two guards shouted to be heard over the cheering inmates. Over the radio they called for backup to come as quickly as possible. Little did they know it was already too late.  
Two me jumped out of the front seats of each jeep, each masked and armed with AK-47's . The two men in the front jeep made quick work of the drivers of the police van, shooting them before they could even open the doors.  
The two in the back van shot the lock of the back doors and pulled them open. The other men inside the van, headed by Stokely, poured out of the van before Sonny could stand up.  
"Alright, everyone listen up!" the large man yelled. "All you motherfuckers are on your own now. Go see your wives and children and enjoy your precious time because there's no telling when the pigs gonna be kickin your doors in. Now get the hell outta here!"  
All the men scattered in different directions and disappeared into the night.  
Just when Sonny was about to walk away, Stokely called after him, "Yo, Sonny! Where do you think your skinny ass is runnin off to?"  
Sonny turned around to see Stokely standing amongst the attackers of the van and next to Mariza, "I'm goin home."  
"Well you sure ain't fuckin walkin, I'll tell you that much. I ain't gonna just let one of my boys who had the balls to take the wrap with me even chance getting caught. You ridin with us."  
"Naw man. I think I'll see myself home."  
"Well I don't remember askin what the fuck you wanted to do. I said you are ridin with us. Move your bitch ass! The cops round here don't stay away for long."  
Sirens could be heard in the distance and knowing he wasn't getting out of this, Sonny took a seat In the back of one of the jeeps. Stokely got in and took the seat next to him. Almost immediately, the jeeps screeched away from the police van.  
"So what do you got waitin for you at home?" Stokely asked.  
"Something special," Sonny looked out the window at Liberty City as it flew past.  
"Well that shit must be important if you riskin walkin to it. Sounds to me like you got yourself a little lady-friend."  
"I guess you could say that," Sonny said without looking back at Stokely.  
"You don't like to say much do ya, Sonny?"  
Sonny finally looked at Stokely, "Not when there ain't much to be said."  
Stokely chuckled and said, "You better say to my boy Mario how to get to your house or you gonna be one homeless little dude."  
Sonny gave the directions to the driver, which consisted of mostly "turn left", "right at the next light", and "just straight ahead on the left."  
The jeep finally stopped and Sonny stepped out before the small apartment building in Saint Mark's.  
Stokely poked his head out the window and looked at eh apartment building, "Come on, Sonny. I know you can do better than this."  
"It's not mine. It's my lady-friends. She lives here."  
"Well we gotta be out. I gotta get home to my lady-friend. Here take this," he handed Sonny a torn off piece of paper, "this is where I'll be at. Call this number whether you need drugs, guns, a new girl, or if you just think of something to say. Ask for Stokely." The jeep began to drive, but then stopped and Stokely again put his head out the window, "Almost forgot." He threw to Sonny a small stack of money that had been rubber banded together.  
Sonny picked it up and started to count it.  
"There should be 5 G's there. All for you for that last job. Take your girlfriend down south and lie low for a little while until all this shit blows over. If you get any money troubles, call that number and I'll get you what you need. Don't be a stranger motherfucker." With that, the Patriot screeched off down the road as the sirens got closer to the bridge..  
Sonny climbed the small stair set to the apartment building door. He pressed the buzzer for apartment number 302.  
A familiar woman's voice came over the speaker, "Who is it?"  
"A secret admirer who decided to see you at damn near midnight," Sonny replied.  
"SONNY?!" the woman cried.  
"Yo are you gonna let me up or am I goin to have to sleep here on the steps tonight?"  
A loud buzz came from the door and Sonny opened it. He climbed the three flights of stairs to room 302 where he knocked heavily on the door.  
Trista Miller answered the door dressed in nothing but a revealing nightgown. She had long brown hair that fell down to her shoulder blades. She jumped into Sonny's arms and almost caused him to fall backwards.  
Sonny walked forward with her in his arms into her apartment and closed the door with his heel. At length, Sonny put her back down on her feet.  
"How did you get out? When? Are you sure you weren't followed? Why did you come here? Do you know how much trouble you could be in?"  
"Hold on, give me a chance to answer. A friend busted me out just about ten minutes ago. I wasn't followed trust me."  
"Does your friend have a name?"  
"No. Anyway, what's been happening these last two years?"  
"Nothing much but you better lay low for a long time. You and your prison buddies are all over the news." She took him through the hallways of her apartment to her room. She turned on the tv and the news was already on.  
On the news, a helicopter was flying over the attacked police van. Now, cop cars surrounded the van and the bodies of the dead officers were being examined thoroughly.  
"See, Sonny? This is serious. I mean, your are in some real shit here. How do you plan on getting out of this one?"  
"Stokely told me that they won't be able to track us. Some computer hackers or something. Anyway, everything will be okay, alright?"  
"If you say so than I trust you."  
"Sonny though he heard a creak coming from the hall, "Are we alone here?"  
"No one now, but I am expecting someone in about twenty minutes. Why?"  
"Twenty minutes? Well we might be done in twenty minutes," Sonny smiled.  
"Time for what?"  
Sonny picked Trista up off of her feet again but this time threw her down on the bed. He went over and closed the bedroom door.  
"Oh, Sonny!" could be heard through the door.  
  
*36 minutes later*  
  
Sonny left Trista's room in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He walked into her kitchen and opened her refrigerator. He took out a bottle of soda and poured it inside a cup.  
Suddenly, someone jerked him back and placed a small handgun against his temple. A Italian voice said to him, "What the hell are you doin here numb nuts? Talk fast or I'm gonna splatter your brains all over this kitchen"  
"I don't think my name's important to you," Sonny tried to remain calm.  
"Well I don't think someone in your position should be getting too brave now, y'hear?"  
"Well I think-" Sonny threw his head back, hitting the other man in the nose. He grabbed the man's hand and smacked it against a wall, causing the man to fire the gun twice. He picked up a butcher knife out of the sink and pointed it at the other man. He appeared to be an associate of the Mafia.  
"What's going on?" Trista came running out from her room wearing the nightgown she had on before.  
"I caught this filthy bastard diggin around your refrigerator.," the Italian man said.  
"He's not a filthy rat. This is my friend. Just put your knife down, Sonny!"  
"No way. Tell him put his shit down first." Sonny could see the man had more guns than he let off.  
"Mick!"  
The Mafia man put his gun inside his pocket, "Trista those damn Triads don't know when to stop! They come onto our turf to trick out their skanky bitches, push drugs to our customers, and kill any and every one of us they can find. Everyday we losin men on the streets to those damn chinks. Trista, we need some new recruits. Do you know any good men that could aid us?"  
"Well, Sonny here could help you guys. He's familiar with the city and is no stranger to fighting."  
"This man? He don't look like no fighter. To me, he looks just like a little girl."  
"So you're gonna go tell Joey that you were almost outdone by a little girl?"  
Mick looked at Trista, then at Sonny, then at Sonny, then back to Trista, "Well, I guess he can't do no harm to us." He eyed Sonny up and down, "Sonny, tomorrow get your ass to round back of Luigi's club round the corner here in Redlight. Trista can tell you where it's at." He started to walk out the door, "Who knows? Maybe we have some work for ya to get done."  
"Who was that?" Sonny asked at length.  
"That was Mick. He's a friend who works for the Mafia."  
"Some friend."  
He was really nice to you. Usually he would've just killed you. He must like you."  
"So now this guys wants to be my friend? I'll pass."  
"Mick is Luigi's best friend."  
"So?"  
"A friend like Mick could get you places."  
"Yeah, a nice cozy place six feet under. So where do you fit into all this?"  
"When Mick first came to Liberty, he had no money and wasn't on speaking terms with Luigi. I helped them out so now they help me out. Money, food, or anything else I need. Look, why don't we just go back to bed? You have till the morning to worry about all that."  
"I can't sleep now."  
"Who said anything about goin to sleep?" Trista walked back to her room.  
Sonny walked after Trista, but this time, he locked the door. 


	2. 2

2.  
  
Sonny opened his eyes and looked over at the clock on Trista's nightstand. 5:26. He had slept way later than he would've liked to. He got up out of the bed and wrapped the blanket around his body. The door to Trista's room was closed and a note had been taped to the door:  
Sonny,  
It's about time you woke up! I noticed you only had you prison outfit and I didn't think it would be a good idea if you went out in that. I went out and bought you keys and some clothes, I hoped you like them. I also got a phone you can use. Don't forget about Joey! He's not one to keep waiting. He's waiting for you at his club. You can use my car if you want. It's the red plastic-top stinger parked fight out front. Ciao baby©  
XOXOXOXO  
-Trista  
Sonny walked out of the room to the kitchen, where his clothes and phone all laid on the table in a pile.  
He put on the clothes as quickly as possible. There was a white sleeveless shirt, baggy blue jean pants, and a pair of black suede shoes.  
Suddenly, his phone rang, "Sonny? Sonny? Where are you my boy?" Mick said.  
"Yeah, I'm here."  
"Boy, where you been at all day? Bring your lazy ass to Luigi's club now. He's not gonna wait much longer. Luigi's growin kinda restless to see you."  
"I'm leavin now."  
"Hurry up. We got some business to take care of."  
Sonny picked up the car keys that were on the table next to his pile of clothes and left the apartment.  
Outside, he couldn't be sure which red car was Trista's. There must've been about eight other red stingers. He pressed the button to disarm the alarm and unlock the doors. Suddenly, a dark red stinger beeped up and the light flashed. Sonny was surprised. There was no way that Trista could afford the car, but sure enough here it was. After adjusting everything in the car to fit himself, he pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the long street and across the Callahan Bridge, never dropping below 55 mph except at red lights.  
Sonny looked out the window at the life citizens of Liberty's citizens doing their own 9-5 thing. A lot of business suits and gang colors could be seen walking down the street together. Occasionally, there was the bad driver, but Sonny usually passed the person and gave them his own personal hand signal.  
Sonny stopped the car across the street from Luigi's club. He put his head down to make it look like he was looking for something as a cop began to walk in his direction. Sonny's heart started beating faster and faster as the beat cop drew nearer. The cop stopped at the passenger window of the red Stinger.  
He bent down and looked in at Sonny, "Hi," he said.  
"Hello officer. How you doin today?" Sonny said.  
"I'm fine, I'm fine." there was an awkward silence between Sonny and the cop for a minute before the cop said, "Have we met before? I think I remember seein your face somewhere before."  
"Nope. I, uh, just got in from Carson today. I'm here on business." Now that Sonny thought about it, the cop did look kind of familiar.  
"Oh, really? What might that be?"  
"Um.real estate?"  
"Uh-huh. Buying or selling?"  
"Selling. No, I mean buying. I buy the buildings relatively cheap, fix them up, and then sell them for more than I bought them for."  
"Well it sounds like you got a mighty fine business goin. This is a little off the subject, but do you know anything about the attack on the police vehicles last night?"  
"Um.I heard gunfire, then loud engines and tires squealing, and then sirens, but I heard something about four prisoners still out there.  
"Yep. Lost a good friend last night I did. I think all of those goddamn prisoners and whoever freed them should rot in hell." Finally something else the cop had said came into Sonny's head, Just sit back and shut up, you'll be in your new home before you know it. This was the same cop that was sitting in the passenger seat inside the police van! How did he survive?  
"Well I'm sorry for your loss."  
"Sonny! What the hell are you doing?! Move your ass!" someone called from across the street. Sonny turned to see Mick waving his hands at Sonny. "Warren leave him the hell alone! He came to see Mr. Leone."  
"Alright, Mick! Tell Mr. Leone I'm sorry for the death of his father," the cop bent down and said to Sonny, "Sorry for holding you up, son. Just watch yourself here in Liberty. Never can be sure who's your friend and who's your enemy. Good day, son."  
"Later," when the cop walked away, Sonny climbed quickly out of the car and jogged across the street to where Mick was standing, "Let's go," Sonny said. The two men walked back through an alleyway to the back entrance of Luigi's club.  
Mick knocked three times on the back door and then waited for the door to open. "Just go inside and wait at eh bar. Someone will get to you shortly."  
Sonny walked into the dim club and the back door slammed behind him. There was a long hallway that Sonny had to walk down before he actually got into where the customers and dancers were.  
The club's main customers seemed to be for the most part drunken men between their late 30's or early 40's. The sultry dancers moves constantly forced the older men out of their money.  
Sonny sat down at the bar and the bartender, a woman wearing a short black skirt and a white blouse that wasn't buttoned up all the way, "Hey, baby. What can I get you?"  
"How much is a screwdriver here?"  
"3. 25."  
"Yeah lemme get one of those."  
"Alright we'll be with you in a second."  
All the girls he could see were either naked or very close. He looked in almost a full semi-circle until he one woman caught his eye. She was a Hispanic woman with light brown hair that didn't quite reach her shoulders. She had on a tight white blouse and a blue plaid miniskirt and as she got closer, even in the dim light Sonny could see she had the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen.  
"Are you Sonny?" she said.  
"Yeah, I'm Sonny. And you are?"  
The woman started to dance, shaking her hips with the music playing in the club, "I'm Rosa. Joey sent me to.entertain you while he takes care of some unfortunate business. Come on, let's go find somewhere else to sit." She led him over to a table nearby. As soon as he sat down, Rosa sat down on his lap, her chest touching his, "Is it true what they say?"  
"What do they say?"  
"That you.and Stokely broke out of police custody last night."  
"Where did you hear that?"  
"The girls in the back. They talk. Someone told me that Luigi helped you guys escape."  
"Who says that's true?"  
She put Sonny's hands on her far up on her thighs, "Is it true?"  
"Might be. But who knows?"  
  
"You know," she started rubbing her hips on Sonny's lap. "And I want you to tell me."  
"Sorry. Can't do that. If I told you, I couldn't allow you to live."  
"Oh so it's like that, is it?"  
"Yeah."  
"Yeah? Well that's okay. It'll be our little secret."  
"Who's 'our'?"  
"Sorry about the holdup. Here's your drink," the bartender came over and put his drink down on the table. "You got this new one tonight, Rosa?"  
"Go away, stupid." The two women laughed.  
Sondra bent down, "Be gentle with her," she said to Sonny.  
"What was that about?"  
"Nothing. So you're gonna be working regular for Luigi now, huh?"  
"Maybe. If he pays good."  
"Good. We haven't had someone we can trust to get things done in a couple of months." She looked toward a back room where a group of men started to come from, "Well I better go. Here comes your new boss." She took out a pen, wrote something down on a napkin, and then turned the napkin over, "Read this when you leave." She kissed Sonny on the cheek and then left.  
In the middle of all the men were Luigi and Joey and behind them was a large man carrying a trash bag with body-sized contents inside. They stopped when they got to the table where Sonny was sitting.  
"Yo, fellas, beat it. Me and Joey gotta talk to the new recruit. Angelo, bring that mess to the crusher in Harwood and tell Simon to give it the works," Luigi said. The other men all left from around Luigi and Joey.  
Sonny stood up and shook Joey's hand, "How ya doin, kid?"  
Then he shook Luigi's hand, "Please, kid. Sit down, sit down. It feels good to finally be able to meet one of our new hands formally." All the men sat down at the table. "So. You must be Sonny. Mick told me some good things about you and I hope you can pull through for us. We recently had to let some wise guy go recently but that's sometimes the way in this business, you know. Then someone actually came and had the fuckin balls to kill the Don almost right out in the open. This family has indeed seen dark times now."  
"But that's why we got you," Joey said.  
"Right, Joey. We could always use the extra help in our little battles against those fuckin chinks and I think you'll like the pay from this little business we got goin. In fact, we got somethin you can do for us right now. There are these two Triad pimps that have been sneakin on to our territory and pimpin out their bitches right in front of us! I had one of my boys leave a little somethin for you to take care of this little problem with. One of them's been spotted in Saint Mark's near the Bistro. Another walks near Easy Credit Autos. Make sure when you kill them they're dead, those little fucks got ways of actin like their dead just to get back out on the streets tomorrow."  
"Sounds easy enough. That's it?" Sonny thought a job for the mafia would be a little more difficult than this.  
"That's it for now. Remember, this is your foot in the door. So get this done good and there'll definitely be more work for you. Now get outta here."  
Sonny picked the napkin up off of the table, put it in his pocket, and walked back outside. In his car he could see from a distance a small handgun resting in the passenger seat. He got in the car and just sat for a moment, thinking. Then he remembered the napkin Rosa had written on in his pocket. He took it out and opened it up:  
Sonny,  
I knew you'd read this eventually. I'm working tonight until ten why don't you come see me? Hope to see you later. Rosa.  
He'd have to remember to come out around ten. Closing his eyes for a minute, he tried to concentrate on what he was about to do. Then, opening his eyes suddenly, he started the car up and sped off towards Saint Mark's. When he thought he saw the one of the men he was supposed to kill, he slowed down the car and turned the radio up. 


	3. 3

3.  
  
For pimps, these Triads did not know how to dress. This Triad wore a bright red suit and green shoes. This had to be the man that he had come for. He drove up to the pimp and got his attention.  
Sonny said something to the pimp loud enough to hear that he said something, but not loud enough for the pimp to make it out, "What?" the pimp said, getting closer to the car. Sonny again said something just like he did before and the pimp got even closer and said, "What? I can't hear you."  
Sonny turned the music down, "I said-" he pulled the gun up off of the seat and shot the Triad in the forehead. The Triad went flying back and Sonny sped off. He looked back in the rear-view mirror at the people that were gathering around the man.  
When Sonny could no longer see the group of people, he breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward Momma's Restaurante. Again, he saw the pimp he was supposed to kill from afar, "Let's see, how am I gonna get this one?" Sonny couldn't think of anything else to do so finally he said to himself, "Fuck it." He drove up next to the man, this time without turning the radio up. "Hey!" he said to the pimp.  
The pimp looked over and all he saw was the handgun barrel before Sonny fired the small gun six times, each one hitting somewhere in the chest or above. Again as the man fell and the people gathered to see, Sonny sped off from the scene.  
  
Sonny stopped the car in front of Trista's apartment building.  
At almost the same time as he pressed the button to arm the alarm, his phone rang, "This is Sonny," he said.  
"Well if it ain't my own personal angel of death," Luigi said. "That was a good job you did on those bastards. Maybe now they'll learn some respect for this family."  
"Well I doubt it if they haven't learned by now."  
"You see? You see? That's why I like you. Where the fuck were you a couple months ago?"  
"In jail."  
"Oh yeah. Anyway, I got somethin else I need for you to do. I got these two guys comin in tonight at Francis International. Now here's what I need you to do: go to Francis sometime between 8 and 9 tonight. Now listen close, these guys handle all our doings down in Florida, so they're real important. Just pick them up, show em around the city, you know, whatever. You shouldn't have to do much cause from what I'm understanding, these two guys are packin a lot of ganja . I just need you to make sure they're happy. I'd say we're both gonna make pretty good outta this kid. Later."  
"Take it easy, Luigi."  
Sonny walked up to Trista's apartment and was happy that it was already unlocked, "Knock knock."  
"Sonny! I'm in the kitchen." Sonny walked into the kitchen where Trista was stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce, "Big day?" she said.  
"Did the cops come here?"  
"No. But the cops have been crazy ever since your break out. Plus, today there were some Triad pimps killed on Mafia turf. But you already knew that didn't you?"  
"I have no idea what you're talking about."  
"Oh yeah I bet you don't. So did you have fun with your new friends today?"  
"Those guys are crazy." Suddenly, it felt like Rosa's napkin was sticking out of his pocket. He tried to work the napkin farther down in his pocket without drawing too much attention to himself. "Yeah, so, uh, I gotta go back out tonight around eight to get these two guys for Luigi."  
"So you gonna start working for Luigi and Joey now?"  
"I might."  
"Well that's good. I know you shouldn't have a problem with his pay. And protection by the mafia can take you a long way."  
"Yeah well I seen what happens to people who the Mafia suddenly decides to 'let go', so I won't be pledging allegiance to them any time soon. I just think that I owe them for bustin me out. That and the pay."  
"Well those are okay reasons I guess. So what do these guys have to do with anything?"  
"Somethin about business down in Florida. Who knows? I don't care as long as I get my money."  
"Well you had better go get some rest before you go out all night. The friends of the Leone family are known to party hard."  
Sonny looked at the clock. It was 6:58. If it took him ten minutes to get to the airport. Sonny picked Trista up and started to walk back towards Trista's room.  
"Sonny, I can't! I gotta fix my spaghetti! Put me down!"  
"You said it yourself: the Leone's friends party hard. Well I'm gonna make sure we have one hard party." 


	4. 4

4.  
  
Sonny stopped the car outside the airport terminal and almost immediately spotted the guys he was supposed to pick up.  
One of the two men standing together had shoulder-length brown hair and stood at least six feet tall. The other man had the sides of his head shaved slightly, but had a large portion of the hair on top of his head pulled back in a ponytail that went down to his lower back. Both of the men's eyes were only about a quarter of the way open.  
"First those Triad pimps and now these stoned motherfuckers here," Sonny said to himself. He drove up to them and rolled down the passenger window, "You Luigi's boys?"  
"Yeah," said the one with the long ponytail. The two men stepped into the car and Sonny drove off. "I'm Race in this is Raus."  
Sonny shook both of the men's hands, "Sonny."  
"So are we gonna go? Get us to, uh.where we goin?" Raus leaned back in his seat and started to laugh uncontrollably.  
"Hey, hey, hey, pull in over in that parking lot," said Race pointing to an abandoned parking lot up ahead. Sonny drove into the parking lot and turned the car off, "Raus, you got the trees?"  
"I don't know, you mean THESE TREES!?" Raus dumped some of the contents in the bag on the backseat of the car. Weed that was almost completely purple seemed to come endlessly out of the bag.  
"Holy shit! How did you guys get that past security?"  
"Stoners work in the weirdest place. The airport for example," Raus burst into laughter.  
Race backhanded Raus on his forehead, "Shut up, man. The cops are gonna come. Come on and roll that shit."  
"Oh shit." Raus pulled a pack of blunts out of his pocket and a paper plate out of the trash bag. When he finished, he handed the blunt to Sonny, "Our special guest gets it first."  
  
*30 minutes later*  
  
"So how you feelin dudes?" Raus asked.  
"I'm feelin good, man," Race's eyes were barely open. "What do you think, Sonny?"  
"Sonny had rested his head on the top of the steering wheel, "I think you guys should cut down."  
"Whoa! Yo I can't feel my face!" Raus yelled.  
Race smacked Raus, "I can feel your face."  
"The three men laughed for what seemed like forever before Raus said, "Yo! Let's go see Silver!"  
"Oh yeah man, let's go." Race said.  
"Who's Silver?" Sonny expected to be going to a horserace or something. He chuckled to himself. Horserace. Horse race. The horses race. Hores Raec.  
"Get us to the strip club down in Redlight! I'm gonna go see my favorite girl."  
Sonny started the car up again and looked down the street for any cops. He saw only a prostitute climbing into an Idaho. Across the street, four mafia men were stomping on a single Diablo. "Only in Liberty. I love this town.  
  
Sonny stopped the car across the street from Luigi's club, "Hey, do either one of you know what time it is?"  
Raus pulled back his long sleeve to reveal two very expensive-looking platinum watches, "It's 10:03."  
"Cool. Right on time,"  
"So are we going inside, guys?" Race said.  
"Yeah let's go." The three men stepped out of the car and walked back through the alley to the back entrance of Luigi's club. Sonny knocked on the door three times just like Mick had done. The door opened just like it had before and the three men walked through the long corridor to the club.  
Luigi sat over at the bar, talking to a lady with short brownish-red hair. He looked over from the girl at the three guys who had just walked in, "Hey! It's my words of mouth from down south! Come over here."  
"Sonny, go find somewhere to sit while we go talk some business," Raus said.  
Raus and Race went over to Luigi and Sonny sat down at a table as close to the main stage as he could get. He sat for about two minutes before he heard, "Alright, everybody, it's time to mix it up with a personal favorite girl of mine. She's definitely something y'all won't forget, Rosa!"  
Rosa came out from behind a black curtain wearing a black business suit and her hair put up in a bun. She danced around on the stage, pulling the bun out, letting her hair fall down. She took off the jacket and pulled her skirt down to her feet, kicking it to Sonny. She ripped the white blouse off and threw it on the ground next to her. She got down on her hands and knees to him and sat with her legs spread in front of his face, "Wait for me after I'm done, we can talk," she whispered to him. She crawled away and started dancing again.  
Sonny looked around the club. There were pretty much the same type of people that were in here before, just different faces and a lot more of them. Sonny ordered two drinks from the Sandra girl that had served him before.  
About fifteen minutes later, someone placed their hands over Sonny's eyes, "Guess who?" Rosa said.  
"Either Rosa or the clammy hands of death."  
"It's Rosa!"  
"Well we can't all be lucky."  
Rosa came around Sonny and sat on his lap, "So did you have fun today?"  
"About as much fun as someone can have popping heads."  
"Well as you can probably tell, I wouldn't know. So what does it feel like to kill someone?"  
"A lot like killing a bug, just on a larger scale. Instead of using your fingers or your hands, you can use a bat or a gun."  
"Is that why you were in jail?"  
"I thought we were done talking about this."  
Sandra came up again and brought Rosa three shots of what Sonny guessed to be rum, "Not until you give me an answer."  
"Well alright. Yeah, we did get busted out last night. I'm trying, with obviously no success, to lie low."  
"Finally a confession. So what were you in for?"  
"Bank robbery, a couple counts of grand theft auto, assault and battery, and some other shit."  
"Oh my, so you have been a busy boy. So how long were you in for?"  
"Fifteen years without possibility for parole. I did maybe two and some change until last night."  
"So what's it like inside? I mean, you see all these prison shows on tv, is that what it's like?"  
"Uh, more or less. Sometimes it's like a personal six by eight foot hell. Other times, it could be better than most people think. You get three good meals a day, tv, all that stuff. I mostly just thought of it as a never-ending workday."  
The two of them shared a laugh, "That's probably a nice way of looking at it. Hey speaking of meals, do you wanna go get a bite to eat?"  
"I don't know. I'm supposed to be keeping watch of those two guys over there," he pointed to the bar.  
"Aw, come on." She stood up and took his hand, "They look like they can handle themselves. Let's go get something to eat. Your treat."  
"Well I guess I can leave them alone for a little while. Why not?" he stood up and let her lead him out of the strip club.  
"Hey, Sandra! I'm leaving for a little bit. I'll be back later!" she said as they ran to the hallway that led to the exit. 


	5. 5

5.  
  
"So where are we going to eat?" Rosa said.  
"We're going to Sonny's kitchen. They're world famous for having all the best food there. Plus it's cheap. Real cheap. Like free cheap." Sonny could tell the drinks were starting to take their effect on both of them.  
"Sounds good. That's the best kind."  
"So now is it my turn to ask some questions?"  
"Shoot."  
"How did you end up working at a place like that?"  
"Straight to the point, aren't you? Well when I was seventeen, my parents kicked me out of the house and so I was in desperate need of some money. So I went up to Luigi's with some of my girlfriends and told them that I was eighteen already. They took one look at me and were like, 'You're hired'. So now, three years later, I'm still doin what I do best."  
"Sounds like yo really got that going for you." Sonny tried his hardest to talk straight.  
"Yeah, well it pays the bills and I have fun doing it so."  
"I understand."  
"So where's this world famous kitchen at?"  
"Right here. I think." He hoped it was right here. He couldn't really tell. Those drinks were hitting him a lot harder than he thought they would. The road seemed to swerve left and right and he struggled to keep going straight. Finally, he saw Trista's building. He parked the car out front and laughed as him and Rosa struggled to get out of the car and stand up straight.  
They each put an arm over the other one's shoulder and basically carried each other up the stairs to the apartment. When they go to his door, Sonny took almost another two minutes trying to put the key inside the keyhole. It wasn't his fault though. The damn thing kept moving whenever the key came close to it.  
Finally he got it open and the two stumbled into the apartment. Rosa threw him down on the couch and sat down next to him, "It's about time you got that thing open. I thought we were gonna sit out there all night."  
"It doesn't usually take that long but, uh, you caught me at kind of a bad time."  
"Who's that?" Rosa said, looking at a picture hanging on the wall across from them.  
"Who's who?" Sonny thought someone had knocked on the door.  
"Who's that in that picture?" She pointed at the one she was looking at. It was an old picture of Sonny and Trista when they were down in Florida.  
Sonny looked at it closely. He had forgotten about his father, who was standing behind the two kids in the picture. It had been so long. "That's a picture of me, Trista, and my dad about, uh, seventeen years ago? This is Trista's apartment."  
"Trista's a really good friend?"  
"You could say that."  
"A girlfriend?"  
"I wouldn't say that. She's just a friend that I've known since I was little. And now that I think about it, this is the last picture anyone has of him. He just disappeared one day after he and my mom got divorced. No one ever heard from him again. So my mom decided to move to Liberty and start again."  
"Funny thing for a kid to go through."  
Sonny pulled the picture off of the wall and looked closely at it. Something was odd about it. It looked like something was behind the picture. He took the back off of the picture frame and sure enough, there was a brown piece of paper behind the picture. He sat down on the couch, opened the paper, and read it to himself :  
  
July 15, 1986  
  
Sonny-  
Hey boy! I knew one day you'd get this. Me and your ma both decided to tell you we got divorced when you were six, but that's not what's going down. The truth is you used to live down here in Florida, with me, but I don't know how I'll be when you find this. The truth is your pops helped some shady people do some shady things so now things have started to get a little hairy. I sent you and your mom to live in Liberty to get away so you could grow up like a kid should. But no matter how I am when you find this, I want to be sure to give you some advice: Don't take no shit from anyone. If someone's giving you trouble, be sure you make them real sorry for it. Well that's all I got for you. I just thought you should know the truth.  
Your Pops,  
Daron P.S.: In your spare time, take this note to the Donovan at Ammunation in Redlight, I had a little birthday present delivered for you.  
  
"What's it say?" Rosa said.  
"Nothin. It's just an old piece of paper," Sonny folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket. Both reading the note and understanding what it said sobered Sonny up instantly.  
"So what have you got to eat? I'm hungry."  
"Um, I smell spaghetti. Trista must have made it before she left. The bowls are in the cupboard above the oven."  
Rosa got up off the couch and went into the kitchen. Sonny sat back on the couch and thought about the letter that was left for him to find. His whole life he'd been lied to to protect him and his family. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the couch. He laid his head back on the couch and dozed off.  
"SONNY?!" Rosa was shaking Sonny as hard as she could.  
"What? What?"  
We gotta go! I told Sondra I'd be back in just a minute."  
"Alright, let's go."  
Sonny closed the door to Trista's apartment and they began the descent down the stairwell. They got to the second floor when they started to hear footsteps coming towards them. Two police officers doing patrol were in the building and passed silently by Rosa and Sonny.  
Rosa was obviously too drunk to be talking to the cops, but she did anyway, "Heeey, guys. Do any of you gentlemen have the time?"  
"Yeah, it's 10-"  
The officer was slightly cut off by the radio on his shoulder, "Four- five, assist narcotics raid in Redlight."  
"Should we go?" the other officer said.  
"Fuck it. By the time we'd get there, it would be over anyway. I'll think of an excuse while we walk. You folks have a nice night." The two officers continued to walk up the stairs.  
"We gotta go," Sonny picked Rosa up and ran down the stairs as fast as he could. "I got the feeling I know exactly where that raid's at."  
Sonny threw her down in the passenger seat, started the car, and sped out of the parking lot. 


	6. 6

6  
  
Raus and Race were already running down the street towards the Redlight/Hepburn Heights border. Sonny stopped the car just in front of them and threw the passenger door open.  
Raus jumped in the backseat, followed by Race, "Go! Go! Go!" he yelled.  
Sonny slammed his foot down on the gas and the car flew down the street. Far behind him, Sonny could hear more and more sirens approaching the raid, "What the hell did you guys do?"  
"Hey, I didn't do a goddamn thing," Raus said, "All I know is I was sittin there and watchin them sweet tits jiggling around. Next thing I know, these cops busted in and started shoutin shit at everybody. We waited until they weren't looking and slipped out the back."  
Sonny parked the car in the Borignine taxi parking lot and turned the car off, "Everybody put your heads down and be quiet!"  
Everyone put their head down on the seat and waited. Everyone, except for Rosa, who Sonny had to push her head down to keep her out of sight. Three cop cars sped past the parked car and own the street. "Okay, it should be okay now." Sonny took his hand off of Rosa's head. She didn't get up. She was asleep. Probably better that way, Sonny thought.  
"So what now?" Raus said.  
"Now we wait." They sat for about five minutes when suddenly, Sonny smelled something familiar, "What's that smell?" He looked back at Race and Raus who had started smoking again. Sonny started the car again and backed out of the parking lot.  
Sonny drove them around for another hour, watching for more cops. Finally he looked at the clock on the radio. 1:45. He felt his eyelids getting heavier and struggled to keep them open, "Do you guys have somewhere you want me to drop you off at?"  
Raus and Rave looked around the outside, "Just drop us off up by Easy Credit Autos up here," Race said.  
Sonny stopped the car in front of the auto insurance building. They got out and Sonny shook their hands goodbye.  
"Oh yeah," Raus said, "Luigi said to give you this." He pulled a small plastic bag out of the trash bag and gave it to Sonny.  
"What's in here?"  
"I think like 4500 dollars. Luigi said it was for something you did earlier."  
Sonny took the plastic bag and placed it at Rosa's feet, "If you see him before I do, tell him I said thanks." Sonny stepped on the gas and left the two men behind.  
He decided that he would bring Rosa back to Luigi's club since he had no idea where she lived.  
Rosa giggled and hiccupped, "I'll see you later," she opened the car door and fell out onto the street. She got up slowly and stumbled through the alley to Luigi's club.  
Sonny turned the radio on and flipped through the channels until he stopped at K-JAH. He smiled and sped through the streets. 


End file.
